Guwahati, Oct 14: The NSS Cell of the University of Science & Technology Meghalaya (USTM) took a significant step towards fostering unity and environmental consciousness by organizing the “Amrit Kalash Yatra” as part of the “Meri Maati Mera Desh” program initiated by the Government of India.
This initiative saw NSS volunteers from various units of USTM yesterday actively participate in collecting soil and rice from their homes and bringing it to their respective units. The collected soil and rice were then placed in the “Amrit Kalash” (sacred vessel) of each department. These Amrit Kalash vessels symbolized the unity of India’s diverse cultural heritage and the profound respect for the land as the Mother.
Dr. Nibedita Paul, the NSS Programme Coordinator of USTM, coordinated the effort, and this Amrit Kalash was subsequently handed over to the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Umling, Meghalaya, as a part of the further processing.
Notable individuals contributing to the success of this initiative included Dr. Amilia Nongbet, Mr. Saikat Mazumder, Mr. Sudipta Nag, Dr. Barsha Malakar, Dr. Nazia Parveen, Ms. Suknaya Das, Dr. Rameez Manzoor, Dr. Papiya Dutta, and Dr. K. Aye, members of the School of Research Council at SSSH, USTM.
In a separate event, the State level Selection Camp 2023 was held at NEHU, Shillong, with the aim of selecting participants for the Republic Day Parade 2024 in New Delhi. Two dedicated NSS volunteers, Priyanka Gupta and Barshashree Talukdar from the NSS Unit Department of Zoology at USTM, qualified for the final selection camp, to be held in December 2023 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This remarkable achievement was made possible through the unwavering support and guidance of Mr. Sudipta Nag, the Program Officer, who passionately nurtured and motivated the students to participate in the NSS mission.
USTM expresses its heartfelt gratitude to Regional Director NSS, Jinjilong, and State Nodal Officer F. Rumnong from the Department of Higher Education, Meghalaya, for their continuous support in these initiatives, which further the cause of national unity and community engagement.